The weekend's big storm hit Long Island hard, giving the region an official blizzard while some towns record snowfall (Upton had 26 inches). While some people couldn't navigate some roads because of "tired" snow plow drivers, the saga of 150 Long Island Rail Road passengers takes the cake.
Newsday (subscription required) recounts the horror of the passengers on the 2:53 a.m. Ronkonkoma-bound train from Penn Station. The train, which was already delayed by the snow and ice and car that was stuck in its path, broke down 140 yards from the Wyandanch station at 5 a.m. and remained there for hours until it made it at 8:13 a.m. "With no electricity, the only bathroom broken and falling temperatures, passengers passed the time arguing, plotting escapes and calling loved ones, the media and the LIRR." Some passengers announced they were opening windows to escape, so the conductor called the MTA police and backup arrived to keep the passengers inside and from opening windows.
News 12 heard the pleas of passengers, who said there was no heat (one passenger was a two-year-old), begging to be rescued:
LIRR president Helena Williams apologized for the incident and said that there would be a "a full-scale review" of the incident. Apparently the rescue locomotive that was first sent to help the train got stuck on a frozen rail and then the LIRR had to find another one (and its engineer) to help push the train those remaining 140 yards.
